You Gotta Love Life

Recorded: Riverside Studios, Vancouver, March and October 2005

Mother of Pearl celebrates 10 years as Vancouver’s all-woman jazz ensemble with the release of You Gotta Love Life , an upbeat, often playful collection of tunes that testifies to the relaxed cohesion that comes from such a long term musical friendship.

You Gotta Love Life sees Mother of Pearl pairing down from a quintet to a four-piece and featuring, for the first time, the character-rich vocals of sax player, Karen Graves, who studied with the renowned Russian voice instructor, Nikolai Kolesnikov. The CD is also the first to feature compositions from all four band members. Wendy Solloway and Brenda Baird collaborate on “Woulda Coulda Shoulda,” a heartening piece about letting go of expectations and following your instincts. Lauri Lyster wrote the reflective “The Road to Utah” after a breakup, while Graves composed the spirited title track. The ensemble, who won a CBC award for their reworking of the Hockey Night in Canada theme, also offers fresh takes on the standards, “That Old Black Magic,” “Tea for Two” and “This Can’t Be Love.”

Brenda Baird: piano
Karen Graves: vocals, sax, flute
Lauri Lyster: drums
Wendy Solloway: bass